From Story to Book Part I

So you have this fabulous idea of a story for children. You’ve told bedtime stories to your children every night from this one story idea and they’ve loved it! It could sell millions of copies! You may never have to work again but will live off the royalties from your story idea.

The only problem is… ideas don’t sell. Books sell.

Let’s look at some things to consider as you begin moving your idea from story to book form.

For what age group do you wish to write? When you pitch to a publishing house, you shouldn’t say your book is for newborns up through young adults. Twelve year-olds don’t generally enjoy the same book as their two-year-old siblings. So, narrow your range. Here are some acceptable age brackets:

0-2 newborn – concept books

2-4 toddlers – board books

5-8 picture books

7-10 chapter books

9-12 tween books

13+ young adult

While these ages may vary a year either way between publishing houses, check the Writer’s Market book for the publishers you wish to submit to and market to one of their stated age ranges. Keep these ages in mind as your write.

Which point of view do you wish to use? Do you want the child to tell the story? This would be first person. If you use this, you can only write what the child would feel, see, think, and experience. The pronouns used would be I, my, me, we.

Do you want to write from a parent’s point of view or have a narrator tell the story? This is third person. Limited third person is when the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of one person. Omniscient third person is when the narrator gets inside each of the characters’ heads. Omniscient can be confusing for young children, so generally stick to a point of view from one person. The pronouns would be he, she, they. Figure out which POV you wish to use and stick with it.

Next, get writing! Don’t let your head get in your way by editing at this point. Just let the words flow and pare it down later. Write as if the story is ready to burst out of your head onto the page. Let it flow. Let it flow. Don’t hold it back anymore… (That should be a song.) We’ll look at editing and perfecting your story in future blogs. For now, pick an age group and point of view and write! Oh, and have fun. Play with it. Crafts should be fun!